AVATARS AS MOTIVATIONAL FACTOR IN SIMULATION GAMES Jannicke Baalsrud Hauge 1,2 , Anna Barenbrock 1 , Klaus-Dieter Thoben 1 1 BIBA – Bremer Institut für Produktion und Logistik GmbH at the University of Bremen, Hochschulring 20, 28359 Bremen, Germany baa@biba.uni-bremen.de, bar@biba.uni-bremen.de 2 Kungliga Tekniska Högskolan, 100 44 Stockholm, Sweden jmbh@kth.se Abstract: User motivation and engagement while playing serious games remains challenging. Advances location-based technology has brought new opportunities for game-based, context-regulated experiences. Much effort has been made to model and manage the user context data, devices, and pervasive spaces, in order to enhance user experience. Research indicates that avatars have potential beyond representing the player on screen and interacting with the digital world. The interaction between an avatar and a player contributes to higher user engagement and a more pervasive experience. This article will look at how Simulation Games used for educational purposes can profit from avatars. The article is outlined as followed: it first analyses the potential avatars have on increasing player motivation and game enjoyment as well as on the player behaviour within different game genres. In a second step, we analyse and identify different types of simulation games, which mostly do not integrate an avatar. Based upon the outcome of the first part, we transfer the gained knowledge about avatars in avatar-focused games to simulation-based games with an educational focus on engineering, in order to increase player engagement towards learning games. Keywords: serious game; simulation; engineering; avatar; engagement; intrinsic motivation. I. Introduction The usage of simulations and simulation based educational games (often also classified as business or management games) as an integral part of the engineering education has, despite still a quite low penetration rate, a long tradition within German engineering education [1]. Games are often used as a tool to overcome the gap between theory and practice [2]. Simulation games are the most used type within engineering and managerial education. [1]. With simulation games, we understand a series of instructional designs using elements from simulation and gaming [2]. Such games “allow participants to experience and explore a simulated problem in a practical and pragmatic manner” [3]. These games can be both digital and non-digital and can be seen as a sub-class of serious games. The advantage of using simulation games in an educational context is that it can enable learners to cope with real problems and authentic situations in a safe environment [4][5]. In engineering and management education, simulations are often scenario-based or case-based. Here, events of the real world are often used as a means to elicit critical decision-making. As such, simulations have attempted to mirror the real world [6]. Semini et al. [2006 in [1]] state that games are more suitable than simulations to teach decision-making in Supply Chains, due to the explorative environment. Digitalised simulation games are generally case-based computer models, which are used with the objective to answer effectively the issue raised by the case such as the optimization of profits, costs or lead times. The player can choose among a tremendous realm of policies, try them out; and get the interactive feedback. During this process of trial and error, users are supposed to acquire experiential learning [1]. However, due to the close link to the reality and the usage of real world processes, many simulation games are less focusing on motivation and engagement, which are two very important factors for the learning outcome [7]. The main research questions are therefore how to get such games more immersive, without increasing the complexity, as well as to identify what we can learn from entertainment games. These are well-known for their ability to engage and motivate and to let the person feel immersed within the gaming environment. A literature review as well as a questionnaire (N~500) indicated that the use of avatars contributed to an immersed feeling of the players. The main objective of this article is therefore firstly to analyse how avatars have been implemented as well as